The RemoveDebris spacecraft deploying its net Credit:
University of Surrey

The spaceship will dock at the ISS first and then deploy on its own on a test mission to snare a small satellite using a harpoon and net.

It is estimated that there are more than 7,600 tonnes of space junk in and around Earth’s orbit - with some moving faster than a speeding bullet, approaching speeds of 30,000 miles per hour, which are a huge threat to satellites and space stations.

The spaceship will eventually drop into Earth's atmosphere and burn up Credit:
University of Surrey

Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, Director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, said: “It is important to remember that a few significant collisions have already happened.

“Therefore, to maintain the safety of current and future space assets, the issue of the control and reduction of the space debris has to be addressed.

“We believe the technologies we will be demonstrating with RemoveDebris could provide feasible answers to the space junk problem - answers that could be used on future space missions in the very near future.”

The mission, which has been designed and manufactured by a consortium of leading space companies led by the University of Surrey and funded by the European Commission, is the first concrete attempt to clean up space junk currently orbiting Earth.

The tiny spaceship will perform two experiments to deploy and then capture a small ‘cubesat’ satellite, first using a net, and then using a harpoon.

The spacecraft will then deploy a large dragsail to allow it to fall out of orbit, where it will burn up as it enters Earth’s atmosphere.

There are tens of thousands of pieces of dangerous space junk circling the Earth

Aurélien Pisseloup, Space Engineer at Airbus, said: "Airbus has been investing in new technologies for space debris removal in co-operation with space agencies and institutes.

“Contributing to this exciting mission with our expertise and concretely with our harpoon, net experiments and vision based navigation (VBN) moves the international space community one big step forward in tackling space debris."

The Euroepan Space Agency is currently developing a Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme to monitor the debris and has called on the world’s space agencies to try to keep Earth’s orbital environment as clean as possible.